Medical image storage systems typically store medical images in on-line, near on-line, and off-line storage devices. While on-line devices provide the fastest access to stored medical images, they are the most expensive storage devices. To make the most efficient use of storage resources, medical image management systems use a hierarchical file system to keep only the most-needed images in storage devices with the fastest access and highest cost. In many systems, there are separate algorithms that use only attributes of the study (e.g., date/time of study acquisition, whether the study has been read) or the status of the storage device (e.g., the amount of available storage space) to determine when to move a medical image from one storage device to another.
The primary disadvantage of conventional systems is that the information used to determine image archiving does not accurately reflect the probability of the medical image being accessed in the future. There is, therefore, a need for a system and method that will more efficiently store medical images.